ANGER HINDERS PRAYERS

MEMORY VERSE: And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 2 Kings 3:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hebrew 7-9

The number one hindrance to prayer is sin. Isaiah 59:1-2 says: “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” God loves man, but He hates sin with a passion. The fact that we are saved does not give us the liberty to sin. Romans 6:1 says: “what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Another hindrance to prayer is unforgiveness. Mark 11:25 says: “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Friend, it is high time you forgave that fellow. Except you forgive, there is nothing any one can do to help you. Forgive that fellow, that in-law, that colleague at work, that husband or wife, not because they deserve it, but because you want God to answer your prayers. Besides, Christ forgave your sins not because you deserve it. Luke 12:48 says: “………. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required....” Because you have been forgiven, you are expected to forgive others.

 Another hindrance to prayer is doubt. James 1:6-7 says: “but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Anger is another hindrance to prayer. In 2 Kings 3, three kings – King of Judah, King of Israel and King of Edom – ran into problems and they called unto Elisha. When He arrived at scene, he went ballistic. 2 Kings 3:13 says: “And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” After reacting angrily, he could not pray. He had become weak in the spirit. He had to request for a minstrel because his spirit was down. 2 Kings 3:15 says: “But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.” Elisha had every right to tell off both kings - king of Edom and king of Israel -for they worshiped idols, yet his anger made it impossible for him to pray or prophesy.  Friend, if you are always getting angry with your children, you will not be able to pray. If you are always shouting at your wife or arguing with your husband, your family prayer altar will become cold. Once you are angry that is it, praying becomes an uphill task. The Holy Spirit is a loving Spirit not an angry Spirit. He takes His leave once anger comes in and without the Holy Spirit, you cannot pray effectively.

TO DO: If you are suffering from the spirit of anger, I recommend fasting.

PRAYER: Father, please rid me of anger.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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